Biography

Peter was born in Brooklyn, New York. He is of Polish, Icelandic, English, and Russian heritage.[2] Steele
is equally known for his dark, deadpan humor, being remarkably
self-deprecating for a musician and clinical
depression; he has occasionally received psychiatric treatment for the latter. There
were unconfirmed rumors at one point of Steele's death after the
band website posted an image of a tombstone bearing his name and
the dates 1962-2005.[3]
According to an article dated May 14, 2005, Steele was not dead;
the gag was related to their fresh signing with SPV Records. The website discontinued the
tombstone picture in October 2005. However, Steele had indeed
disappeared for an extended time with no explanation from the band
or management. Rumors of his death, terminal illness, and other
speculations increased until the mystery was dispelled on the 2006
DVD Symphony for the
Devil. Included in this DVD is an interview in which
Steele briefly mentions his incarceration in Riker's Island and
"the psych ward at Kings County
Hospital", both stints apparently caused by his heavy substance
abuse, for which he also served time on probation. Additionally, Steele was
admittedly very bitter towards his sisters for what he perceived to
be a betrayal of sorts that led to his jail time. This situation
was incorporated into "Tripping A Blind Man" on Type O Negative's
2007 album, Dead Again.

Steele notoriously appeared as a nude centerfold of Playgirl in 1995 [4]. After
finding out via bandmate Kenny Hickey's contacts that only 23% of
the magazine subscribers were female, Steele somewhat regretted the
decision and later made light of it on Life Is
Killing Me with the song "I Like Goils". In a 2007
interview, Steele reflected on the posing as merely a naïve
publicity stunt.[5]
Steele was Playgirl's first model to appear with an erection. Until
that issue, all nude male models in PlayGirl were in a flaccid
state.

Steele has also revealed in recent interviews that Type O
Negative's split from Roadrunner Records, aside from a
poor offer, had to do with an allegedly unauthorized release of a
Best Of
compilation.[6]
Additionally, he later revealed on MTV's Headbangers Ball that the new
alliance with SPV Records
is probably his favorite thing about Dead Again from
a production standpoint.[7]

Steele performing in Berlin with Type O Negative.

In April 2007, Steele revealed that he began identifying himself
as Roman Catholic in recent years, after
decades of self-professed atheism. In an interview with Decibel magazine, Steele
explains “There are no atheists in
foxholes, they say, and I was a foxhole atheist for a long
time. But after going through a midlife crisis and having many
things change very quickly, it made me realize my mortality. And
when you start to think about death, you start to think about
what’s after it. And then you start hoping there is a God. For me,
it’s a frightening thought to go nowhere. I also can’t believe that
people like Stalin and Hitler are gonna go to the same place as
Mother
Teresa.”[5]

Steele has made references to Jesus Christ looking
like him, in the song Christian Woman hes quoted as saying "Jesus
Christ looks like me". Peter's signature move, showcased and made
famous while a guest on a taping of Jerry Springer, is a gesture in which he
makes the sign of the cross followed by a gesture of the hand under
the chin as to suggest a "flipping off" motion

From Wikiquote

Peter Steele (born January 4th,
1962), is the lead singer of and a bassist for the doom/gothic
metal band Type O Negative. His birth name is
Peter Ratajczyk.

Sourced

This entire opus is respectfully dedicated to all those who
have loved unconditionally only to have their hearts
unanaesthetically ripped out: Base not your joy on the deeds of
others, for what is given can be taken away. No hope = No fear.

Source: Bloody Kisses booklet

Some people say I'm a pussy. I say, you are what you eat.

Source: During a live performance

I left the stage because I thought I had to shit, but then I
lost the feeling.

Source: Symphony For The Devil DVD

Hello, children of the Nazis!

Source: Beginning of a live performance in Germany (with
Carnivore)

Attributed

As far as humor goes, I've always been a very insecure person
and I've always wanted to be liked.

Finding fresh song topics can sometimes be quite
difficult.

I also like to eat very much, so I like all different types of
foods.

I don't know what to say to that, but I have to agree with
Johnny that, yeah, we do touch upon things that most men would
rather not admit: That we feel pain, we cry, get sad and sometimes
don't deal well with disappointment.

I don't really like to play live. I don't like to be on stage.
I feel very self-conscious.

I drink for the effect, because it loosens up the tongue a
little bit.

I feel that I've grown up a little bit and I'm actually ready
to settle down.

I find that different types of music are good for certain
activities.

I guess I've learned that there's really no such thing as a bad
label, there is only a bad contract.

I like to put on hardcore when I have to clean my apartment,
which I hate to do, but it's motivational. I like old heavy metal
when I'm outside working on my car. Music has definite functions
for me.

I stay way from that area, and there's only so many songs you
can write about love, sex and death.

I think aerobics are great, of course, but it just bores me out
of my mind.

I think anyone who has an opinion, and voices it, will offend
someone.

I think for the most part it really doesn't matter how good an
album is; I think it really comes down to musical climate.

I think I've changed a lot as a person.

I used to try to run five miles every other day, which I worked
up to and I was doing it, but I was subjected to my own thoughts
for forty minutes without any sensory input, and I couldn't stand
what I thought.

I want to stay away from politics, or else I'll probably end up
putting my size fifteen foot into my mouth.

I'm a big fan of the effects of alcohol.

I've always been very image prone, along the lines of bands
like Black Sabbath and even Devo.

I've been told by people that it's okay to cry but, you know
what, it's been used against me.

I've been wearing black pants and green shirts now for like
thirteen years. It works.

If I wasn't bound to Brooklyn, due to my own personal reasons
like taking care of my mother and the fact that this is where the
band is based, I would probably move to Iceland.

If they weren't laughing with me, okay; if they want to laugh
at me it's better than nothing.

If we're going to be dumped into, say, goth metal or something
like that, I really don't mind being called that.

Instead of slashing my wrists, I just write a bunch of really
crummy songs.

It became more and more difficult after drinking beer, or while
drinking beer on stage, to execute vocals in between burps.

It seems to be that southern Europeans are just more intimate
socially, whereas I like a lot of personal space - like, a mile
from the nearest person is fine for me.

Nordic people are very stand-offish, but to go to Greece,
Italy, Spain or Israel, men are all over men and stuff.

One of the things I've always personally tried to stress with
this band was to have some kind of visual aspect and to be
consistent with it - like, not to change.

So I don't cry anymore, I just beat people up. It's a lot more
fun.

So, I simply switched over to wine because it was not
carbonated.

Sometimes, I write '60s or '80s style pop songs.

Technically, at this point we're no longer with the label;
we've fulfilled our contract.

There's a lot of things that go on when you're on tour that
cannot be controlled. I'm not even talking about myself, but of
course there's sexual activity and drugs, fighting and language; it
is certainly not a place to raise a family.

We did a lot of in-store signings around that time, and
occasionally guys came up with that issue of Playgirl and wanted me
to sign the centerfold.

We've been fortunate that we could choose, from all the songs
I'd written, those that the band considered to be the best.

Well, darkness with humor... I'm not an extremely suicidal or
sad person.

Yes, there are times when I get extremely depressed and how I
sublimate those feelings is through music.

People think, "Oh, Pete's sexist because he takes advantage of
women." No, we take advantage of each other.

I want to be the only fucking man in this world. I want an army
of my sons and then find a planet to attack.